How Much Does a Just Between Friends Franchise Cost?

The April 10, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document lists an Estimated Initial Investment of $67,365 to $99,615 for one Just Between Friends franchise. A separate two- to six-unit Multi-Unit Development Agreement has a disclosed total investment of $88,265 to $194,115, including the first unit.

Capital snapshot

The Initial Franchise Fee is only one part of the required capital. The 2026 FDD also includes equipment, event inventory, a temporary venue, advertising, technology, training travel, a Jump Start Guide, bookkeeping and Additional Funds through the first sale.

The $67,365 to $99,615 single-unit range contains 16 cost categories. The low and high totals reconcile exactly to the 2026 Item 7 table; Additional Funds are already included and must not be added again.

Agreement, equipment and training costs

Source: 2026 FDD, Item 7, pp. 20–23. Initial Equipment includes the required computers, point-of-sale hardware, racks, tables and related event equipment. The FDD estimates $1,000 to $2,000 per point-of-sale station and requires at least four stations plus a master computer for a new event business; see Item 11, pp. 38–39.

Venue, launch and initial operating-period costs

Source: 2026 FDD, Item 7, pp. 20–23. The stated initial operating period runs from Franchise Agreement signing through the first sale, no more than 300 days; the Item 7 note describes the estimate as approximately three months.

Just Between Friends franchisees host seasonal events in temporary leased venues rather than operating a permanent retail storefront. The 2026 FDD therefore does not typically require construction or remodeling, but it places meaningful capital into short-term venue rent, portable equipment, storage, event labor, advertising and inventory.

The Multi-Unit Development Agreement requires a nonrefundable Development Fee equal to all Initial Franchise Fees for the committed units, paid in one lump sum when the agreement is signed. The first unit uses the $24,900 Initial Franchise Fee, the second unit is $19,900, and each third through sixth unit is $17,400. The 2026 FDD then adds the first unit's full startup range and $1,000 to $5,000 of business-planning and miscellaneous expenses to produce the $88,265 to $194,115 total investment.

The largest contractual payments begin at signing, while the rest accumulate through training and the first event. The 2026 FDD allows up to 300 days from signing to hold the first JBF Sales Event, but its Additional Funds estimate is based on approximately three months through that first sale.

The ongoing cost structure combines percentage fees, minimum payments, event-level marketing and technology charges. The percentage fees must be read with their exact Gross Sales basis; the FDD does not convert them into an annual dollar cost.

Item 8 also constrains some purchasing choices. JBF is the only approved supplier of JBF System Technology and the Jump Start Guide; Bookkeeping Services must come from an approved supplier, while merchant and marketing services are subject to compatibility or approval rules. The FDD estimates required purchases and leases at approximately 10% to 20% of all ongoing purchases and leases. Item 11 separately estimates approximately $1,500 per year to maintain the required computer and point-of-sale systems.

Item 6 contains several charges that are not part of the ordinary opening budget. They become relevant when ownership changes, payments are late, additional training is needed, a required sale is missed, records are deficient or the Franchise Agreement ends early.

Source: 2026 FDD, Item 6, pp. 15–20, and Item 17, pp. 51–58.

The 2026 FDD does not disclose a minimum Liquid Capital, Net Worth or Non-Borrowed Funds requirement. It also states that JBF does not offer direct or indirect financing and does not guarantee a franchisee's lease, notes or other obligations. JBF maintains a list of approved vendors that offer financing, but franchisees are not required to finance or use an approved vendor. Source: 2026 FDD, Item 10, p. 30.

A 10% Initial Franchise Fee discount is disclosed for a U.S. Armed Services veteran or the spouse of a veteran. Existing franchisees in good standing acquiring an additional unit to become a multi-unit owner receive a $5,000 Initial Franchise Fee reduction. These reductions apply to the Initial Franchise Fee, not the full Item 7 investment. Item 5 also states that fees may not be uniformly imposed and that JBF may reduce or waive a fee in its business judgment, so any exception should be documented in the signed agreements.

The most important unresolved amounts are local venue terms, equipment configuration, the first-year Technology Fee schedule and costs that can change under the Operations Manual. The FDD provides a range, not a buyer-specific budget.

A prospective single-unit buyer should distinguish the $67,365 to $99,615 Estimated Initial Investment from the $24,900 Initial Franchise Fee and from the recurring Royalty Fee, marketing obligations and Technology Fee. The largest disclosed startup variables are Initial Equipment, Additional Funds and the Venue Lease. A multi-unit buyer faces a separate $88,265 to $194,115 commitment that includes the first unit and a fully earned, lump-sum Development Fee.

The 2026 FDD does not provide a minimum Liquid Capital or Net Worth threshold, and it does not resolve a buyer's exact local venue, equipment, insurance or event-labor budget. Those are the principal amounts to verify before signing, together with the first-year Technology Fee schedule and any updated state addenda.